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LONG GUN ROUNDUP
100 SPECIAL WEAPONS /JULY/AUG 2015
SPECIAL-WEAPONS-MAGAZINE.com
RUSSIANSNIPER RIFLEST
he history of Russian sniper rifles began during the early
1930s, when, following new Soviet doctrine, the Red Army initiated
a countrywide program to pro-
mote individual marksmanship to youth and active-duty
infantrymen. Among other activities, this program included the
development of a new sniper rifle and the establishment of sniping
schools, where tactics and marksmanship were taught to soldiers.
The rifle choice was simple; the necessary number of newly produced
Mosin M1891/30 bolt actions were hand picked for accuracy each
year, then modified to accept scopes.
Shortly before World War II, the Red Army adopted the Tok-arev
SVT-40 semi-automatic rifle as its new standard weapon, and
appropriate modifications were designed for the SVT-40 to be used
as a sniper rifle with a newly developed 4X PU scope. When the
Great Patriotic War broke out in 1941, the Red Army was still in
the process of rearming its troops. As a result of frontline
experience, Red Army command quickly recognized the great value of
sniping, and sniper schools turned out a significant number of
snipers. Throughout the war, their primary weapons were old,
tried-and-true M1891/30 rifles with scopes, because it was found
that the SVT-40 lacked the necessary ac-curacy. However, some
famous Soviet snipers of the WWII era preferred the potentially
less accurate Tokarev semi-auto rifle to the bolt-action Mosin
rifle because the former offered a rapid
second-hit capability and was generally superior at short and
medium ranges.
The semi-auto Dragunov SVD entered service in 1969. According to
modern Western standards, the SVD is more of a marksman rather than
a true sniper rifle. It was designed to provide every infantry
squad a weapon with longer reach, equiva-lent in range to
standard-issue NATO rifles of the period. Issued with a 4X PSO-1
scope or a variety of night sights, the SVD is still a popular
sniper rifle for Russian personnel.
Despite its merits, the SVD falls short in terms of single-shot
accuracy compared to
most Western sniper rifles. As a result, during the late 1990s,
the Russian Army and police sought new sniper rifles that fired the
same 7.62x54R ammunition but were capable of better accuracy. Two
new rifles emerged: The SV-98 rifle, designed in Izhevsk, was based
on the Record CISM target rifle; and the MTs-116M, designed in
Tula, was based on the MTs-116 sporting rifle. Of the two, the
SV-98 found wider acceptance, being used by both Russian military
and police personnel. The MTs-116M rifle is mostly used in law
enforcement.
Finally, Russian designers developed the 12.7mm manually
operated bolt-action ASVK rifle. It is issued to special elements
of the Russian Army and police, along with specially manufac-tured
12.7x108mm sniper ammunition for long-range work or standard-issue
AP ammunition for anti-materiel work. Read on to learn more about
each individual weapon system.
Mother Russias combat-proven
sharpshooters from WWII and beyond!
By Maxim Popenker
A Russian Army sniper takes aim with the semi-automatic Dragunov
SVD ri e, which rst entered
service in 1969. This updated version has a
synthetic stock instead of the originals wood.
Roman Krajnov Photo
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SPECIAL-WEAPONS-MAGAZINE.com SPECIAL WEAPONS /JULY/AUG 2015
101
Mosin M1891/30For WWII, the Russian Army modi-fied Mosin
M1891/30 infantry rifles for sniper duty by adding a scope mount,
attached to the left side of the receiver. Due to the placement of
the scope, clip loading was impos-sible, so the rifle had to be
loaded by pushing loose rounds into the opened action. The rifles
action used a conventional rotary bolt with two locking lugs at the
front; the bolt handle was bent down to clear the scope on opening.
Standard iron sights were retained, and these rifles were usually
sighted-in and zeroed without the bayonet. (Standard-issue M1891/30
rifles were normally zeroed with their bayonets attached.)
The integral magazine held five rounds of ammunition in a single
stack The
their standard-issue wooden stocks as well as their canvas
slings. Early versions were issued with 4X PE scopes that were
designed during the early 1930s. Begin-ning in 1942 M1891/30 sniper
files were
i d i h h d ligh X
PU scopes. For special work, especially behind enemy lines, some
M1891/30 sniper rifles were issued with detachable Bramit sound
suppressors, which were used in conjunction with reduced-veloc-ity
(subsonic) rounds to quietly take out sentries, guard dogs and
other targets of opportunity.
SVT-40Like the M1891/30, Tokarev SVT-40 sniper rifles were built
from standard-issue rifles, hand picked and modified for scope
mounts on the receiver. These mounts accepted quickly-detachable
3.5X PU riflescopes that were originally designed specifically for
use on these Tokarev SVT-40 rifles.
The Tokarev SVT-40 utiilzed a gas-operated action with a
short-stroke gas piston and a manual gas regulator located above
the barrel. The prominent muzzle brake helped decrease the recoil
and muzzle rise for faster follow-up shots. The SVT-40 rifle was
fitted with a wooden stock and detachable 10-round magazines,
although in-service maga-zines were often refilled in-place using
standard-issue, five-round M1891/30 stripper clips (two per
magazine).
It must be noted that in wartime service the SVT-40 turned out
to be problematic, due to much higher requirements for manufacture,
mainte-nance and handling (especially under adverse conditions),
compared to Mosin bolt-action rifles. The accuracy of SVT-40s was
also rather uninspiring, and, as a result, relatively few SVT-40
rifles were actually issued as sniper weapons.
S P E C I F I C AT I O N SCALIBER: 7.62x54RBARREL: 28.7 inchesOA
LENGTH: 48.6 inchesWEIGHT: 8.4 pounds (empty)SIGHTS: Iron, 3.5X PU
scopeACTION: BoltCAPACITY: 5+1
S C C O SC : 62BARREL: 24.6 inchesOA LENGTH: 48.3 inchesWEIGHT:
8.5 pounds (empty)SIGHTS: Iron, 3.5X PU scopeACTION:
Piston-operated semi-autoCAPACITY: 10+1
of ammunition in a single stack. Thesniper variants retained
ning in 1942, M1891/30 sniper files wereissued with shorter and
lighter 3.5Xg
SVT 40
S C C O SS P E C I F I C AT I O N SCALIBER: 7.62x54RBARREL: 24 6
inches
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SPECIAL-WEAPONS-MAGAZINE.com
LONG GUN ROUNDUP
102 SPECIAL WEAPONS /JULY/AUG 2015
SV-98The SV-98 is a manually operated bolt-action rifle. It uses
a rotary bolt with three frontal lugs and a heavy barrel with a
removable flash suppressor that can be replaced with a specially
designed sound suppressor if required. Quite unusual for a modern
military rifle, it has a painted, laminated-wood stock instead of
one made of modern synthetics. The stock also has a thumbhole as
well as
an adjustable buttplate and cheekrest. The rifle is equipped
with backup iron sights and a scope rail above the receiver. The
standard-issue sight is the 7X PKS-7 scope, but in service many
operators pre-fer to use higher-quality, variable-power scopes of
various makes and models. The rifle is fed using proprietary,
10-round, detachable magazines made from plastic.
It is normally issued with a sling, a detach-able bipod, an
anti-mirage band and a detachable carrying handle.
Dragunov SVDThe Dragunov SVD was the first purposely built
Soviet sniper rifle. Adopted in 1969, it was issued to a designated
marksman of every infantry squad of the Soviet army to complement
their AK, AKM and later AK-74 rifles. Extremely rugged and durable,
the SVD offered minute of enemy soldier accuracy at ranges up to
800 meters. Normally issued with specially produced sniper-grade
ammunition, it can also use all types of machine gun ammo in its
7.62x54R chambering, including AP and API. Oddly enough, since its
user was ex-
pected to operate within the structure of a standard infantry
squad, the SVD, most unusual for a sniper rifle, was equipped with
a bayonet lug.
The SVD was built using a short-stroke gas piston operating
system with a locking rotary bolt. The stocks, originally made from
wood, featured a characteristic thumbhole, and the rifle included a
sepa-rate forend. Current-production versions are manufactured with
improved polymer stocks. Special SVD-S versions, produced for
airborne troops, feature shorter barrels and side-folding stocks.
The standard-
issue sight is a 4X PSO 1 scope with
a range-finding reticle and a built-in IR detector. Other types
of scopes or night sights can be installed using the standard rail
on the left side of the receiver. Iron sights are provided as a
backup measure.
S P E C I F I C AT I O N SCALIBER: 7.62x54RBARREL: 25.6 inchesOA
LENGTH: 50 inchesWEIGHT: 13.7 pounds (empty)SIGHTS: Iron, 7X PKS-7
scopeACTION: BoltCAPACITY: 10+1
S P E C I F I C AT I O N SCALIBER: 7.62x54RBARREL: 25.6 inchesOA
LENGTH: 49.2 inchesWEIGHT: 14.3 pounds (empty)SIGHTS: NoneACTION:
BoltCAPACITY: 5+1, 10+1
S P E C I F I C AT I O N SCALIBER: 7.62x54RBARREL: 24.4 inchesOA
LENGTH: 48.2 inchesWEIGHT: 9.5 pounds (empty)SIGHTS: Iron, 4X PSO-1
scope
C O : d oC C : 0
dj t bl b tt l t d h k t It i ll i d ith li d t h
issue sight is a 4X PSO-1 scope with ACTION: Piston-operated
semi-autoCAPACITY: 10+1
MTs-116MIn 1997, the Central Design Bureau for Sporting and
Hunting Arms (TsKIB SOO) developed the MTs-116M sniper rifle for
law enforcement use. It was derived from the highly successful
single-shot MTs-116 high-power match rifle, which was used by
Russian shooting teams to win many international shooting matches
at 100- and 300-meter ranges.
The MTs-116M sniper rifle is a manually operated bolt-action
rifle with a locking ro-tary bolt. The bolt has two radial lugs at
the front. The free-floating barrel has a heavy profile and is
fitted with a flash suppressor.
The rifle feeds from proprietary, five- or 10-round detachable
box magazines. The trigger unit is fully adjustable. The stock is
made from wood and is provided with an adjustable buttplate and
cheekrest as well as a rear support monopod. An adjustable folding
bipod is attached below the forend.
The MTs-116M sniper rifle is normally fitted with a scope or
IR/night sight using proprietary QD mounts. No iron sights are
provided in its basic configuration.
The MTs-116M sniper ri e is tted with a bipod and an adjustable
rear monopod.
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ASVKThe ZiD plant in Kovrov developed the large-caliber ASVK
rifle, and its now in use with special elements of the Russian Army
and law enforcement. Originally developed mostly as an
anti-materiel rifle (to be used with AP and API ammo produced for
heavy machine guns), it also became a long-range anti-personnel
tool with the introduction of sniper-grade 12.7x108mm ammunition.
With sniper-grade ammunition, the ASVKs maximum effective range is
about 1,500 meters.
The ASVK is a manually operated bolt-action rifle in a bullpup
configura-tion. Due to the rear placement of the bolt, its
operating handle is placed well forward, in front of the trigger,
and connected to the bolt with a long bar. The ASVKs detachable box
magazine
holds five rounds in a single stack. To reduce recoil, the
free-floating bar-rel is equipped with a massive muzzle brake. The
rifle is normally issued with a variable-power scope, and iron
sights on folding bases are provided as a backup option. SW
Elite Russian anti-terrorism units use the ASVK bullpup
to stop threats out to 1,500
meters.
S P E C I F I C AT I O N SCALIBER: 12.7x108mmBARREL: 39.4
inchesOA LENGTH: 56 inchesWEIGHT: 27.6 pounds (empty)SIGHTS:
IronACTION: BoltCAPACITY: 5+1
The ASVK is a manually operated bolt-action rifle in a bullpup
configuration.